Partir (To Leave/Break) — Full Conjugation

Partir is a classic model verb — the one grammar books use to demonstrate the regular -ir paradigm alongside abrir. Every ending is exactly what you would predict from the rules; there are no stem changes, no spelling twists, no irregular participles. If you learn partir well, you can conjugate roughly 40% of all -ir verbs in Portuguese.

What makes partir worth its own page is not its conjugation but its meaning. In Portuguese, partir is two verbs that happen to share a spelling:

1. partir (intransitive) = to leave, to depart, to set off — used for journeys and departures, often in more formal or elevated contexts than sair.
2. partir (transitive) = to break, to snap, to shatter — used for physical objects that break into pieces.

Context makes the difference obvious to native speakers, but for learners — especially English speakers who don't intuit the connection — the two senses can feel like a coincidence. (Historically they are not: both go back to Latin partire "to divide, to separate", the idea being that you separate yourself from a place or that you separate an object into parts.)

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Present indicative — presente do indicativo

Imperfect indicative — pretérito imperfeito

Preterite indicative — pretérito perfeito simples

Note: the nós form partimos is identical in the present and the preterite for -ir verbs. Context tells you which is meant.

Pluperfect indicative, simple — pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples

The simple pluperfect is now almost entirely literary — you will meet it in novels by Saramago or Eça de Queirós, but almost never hear it in conversation. The third-person plural partiram is identical to the preterite; context disambiguates.

Pluperfect indicative, compound — pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto

Present perfect — pretérito perfeito composto

An action that has been happening repeatedly or continuously up to now. Tenho partido muitos copos ultimamente = I've been breaking a lot of glasses lately.

Simple future — futuro do indicativo simples

Future perfect — futuro perfeito

Conditional — condicional (futuro do pretérito)

Conditional perfect — condicional composto

Present subjunctive — presente do conjuntivo

Imperfect subjunctive — imperfeito do conjuntivo

Future subjunctive — futuro do conjuntivo

Present perfect subjunctive — pretérito perfeito do conjuntivo

Pluperfect subjunctive — pretérito mais-que-perfeito do conjuntivo

Future perfect subjunctive — futuro perfeito do conjuntivo

Imperative — imperativo

Affirmative:

Negative:

Personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal

Compound personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal composto

The two meanings of partir

Sense 1 — to leave, to depart

Intransitive, often followed by para (to a destination) or de (from a place). Belongs to a register slightly above everyday conversation — think of announcements, news reports, journeys with purpose.

Sense 2 — to break, to snap, to shatter

Transitive. Used when the object breaks into pieces — bones, bread, glass, nuts. In colloquial speech, you can also hear the reflexive partir-se for when the object breaks on its own (or apparently so): o copo partiu-se.

Partir vs sair — which leave?

This is the distinction that trips English speakers. Both translate to leave, but they highlight different aspects:

If you say parto de casa às sete it sounds oddly grandiose — like you are embarking on a voyage rather than popping out. Use sair for mundane departures.

Partir de — to start from

A separate, useful sense: partir de can mean to start from as a point of reasoning or a starting principle.

Idiomatic uses

• a partir de — from, starting from (a partir de segunda-feira — starting Monday)
• partir o coração (a alguém) — to break someone's heart
• partir a loiça toda — literally "break all the crockery", figuratively to absolutely kill it / put on a brilliant performance (informal)
• partir pedra — to do gruelling, repetitive work (informal)
• partir do zero — to start from scratch
• partir-se a rir — to crack up laughing (informal)

Example sentences in context

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• Partir is a fully regular -ir verb — the archetype, along with abrir, used to illustrate the pattern.
• Two distinct meanings share the same verb: to depart (intransitive; formal or travel-related) and to break (transitive; physical objects).
• For depart, partner prepositions are para (destination) and de (origin).
• Prefer sair for everyday departures from a place; reserve partir for journeys, flights, trains, and elevated register.
• A partir de = starting from — a very high-frequency expression worth memorizing as a unit.
• For body parts, Portuguese prefers the dative: partiu-lhe o braço rather than partiu o braço dele.
• The reflexive partir-se signals a break that happens apparently on its own (or that you want to play down your role in): o vaso partiu-se.